Two piece rigid leggings



Sept 8, 1959 R. J. cooK 2,902,779

TWO .PIECE RIGID ma mas Filed Sept. 3, 1957 Robert J Cook 1 N VEN TOR.

United States Patent TWO PIECE RIGID LEGGINGS Robert J. Cook, Tampa, Fla.

Application September 3, 1957, Serial No. 681,654

1 Claim. (Cl. 362) The present invention generally relates to an article of wearing apparel and more particularly to protective leggings which are substantially rigid and extend from the region of the shoe top to the region of the knee for protecting a major portion of the leg above the conventional shoe top or vamp.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rigid two-piece legging construction preferably constructed of resinous fiber reinforced plastic material which is waterproof, snagproof, durable and strong, light in weight, corrosive resistant, weatherproof, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a legging construction in accordance with the preceding objects in which the two pieces of the leggings are telescopic in relation to each other about diametrically opposed vertical lines of separation whereby the leggings may be easily adjusted by manipulating clamping or holding straps thereby permitting the leggings to be adjusted for providing comfort to individual wearers whose legs may be of a different size.

A most important feature of the present invention is to provide a legging construction which is not only rigid and provided with the various advantages set forth above but which also resists snake bites or bites from other reptiles and other animals and is especially adapted for use by persons such as hunters or sportsmen who would come into contact with such dangers.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the two-piece legging construction of the present invention disposed on the leg of a wearer;

Figure 2 is an exploded group perspective view of the legging showing the two pieces thereof; and

Figure 3 is a transverse, plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of Figure 1 and showing the telescopic relationship of the two pieces of the legging.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the two-piece legging construction of the present invention which incorporates a rear section generally designated by numeral 12 and a front section generally designated by the numeral 14. The rear and front sections are assembled in encircling relation to the leg 16 of a wearer which is provided with a conventional shoe 18 on the foot with the shoe 18 nonnally being provided with ankle encircling uppers 20. The legging 10 generally protects that portion of the leg 16 from the ankle region to the knee region and is especially effective for protecting this area from snake bites and injury due to contact with briers, brush or barbed wire or any other similar obstruction.

The rear section 12 is substantially U-shaped in crosssectional area having a bight portion 22 and a pair of forwardly extending leg portions 24 terminating in tapered vertical edges 26 having a slight concavity 28 at the forward edge thereof. The bottom edge of the rear section 12 is slightly downwardly and rearwardly curved as indicated by the numeral 30 while the top edge is also downwardly curved from the front towards the rear as indicated by the numeral 32.

The front section 14 is also of substantially U-shaped configuration and provided with a rounded bight portion 34 and a pair of rearwardly extending leg portions 36. The leg portions 36 terminate in a slightly convex curve as indicated by the numeral 38 and the lower end of the forward section 14 is curved forwardly as indicated by numeral 40 for engaging and conforming to the top portion or vamp of the shoe 18 generally in the region of the upper surface of the arch portion of the foot. The terminal lower end edge of the front section 14 is slightly convexly curved as indicated by the numeral 42. The upper end of the front section 14 is provided with a slightly forwardly offset portion 44 generally receiving and conforming to the knee cap of the leg 16 of the wearer thus permitting normal operation of the knee joint. The upper end of the front section 14 is also convexly curved and is smoothly merged with the convex curvature of the edges 38 of the leg portions 36 of the U- shaped cross-sectional front section 14.

A pair of securing adjustable length straps 46 and 48 are provided for securing the front and rear sections together in leg encircling relation. Each of the straps or bands 46 and 48 are of two-piece construction including a rear piece 50 and a front piece 52. The ends of the rear pieces 56 are each provided with a buckle 54 for association with one of a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 56 formed in each end of the front pieces 52. The rear pieces 50 are held on to the rear section 12 of the leggings by a pair of closely adjacent slots 53 through which aportion of the rear pieces 50 of the straps are threaded. Likewise, the front pieces 52 are held in position on the front section 14 by two pairs of closely adjacent slots 60 through which the front pieces 52 are threaded. The rear pieces 50 are disposed close to the exterior surface of the rear section 12 of the legging while the front pieces 52 of the straps are disposed against the inner surface of the front section 14 of the leggings, thus providing a smooth front surface to the front section 14 of the legging so that there will be less tendency for the leggings to become entangled with briers, brush or the like. Also, the buckles 54 are disposed rearwardly of the center of the leggings thus keeping these generally free from entanglement with brush, briers or the like while walking.

The bottom end of the front section 14 is provided with a pair of slots 62 receiving an adjustable length strap 64 having a buckle 66 incorporated therein for adjusting the effective length of the strap 64. The strap 64 extends under the shoe immediately forwardly of the heel and generally in the upwardly curved portion of the sole for holding the leggings downwardly against the upper surface of the shoe 18. By varying the tension on the straps 46 and 48 and 64, the size and freedom of movement of the leggings 10 can be adjusted. The twopiece construction provides relative movement between the rear and front sections for permitting the articulated joints of the leg 16 to function normally with very slight restriction or discomfort. The tapered edges 26 disposed against the inner surface of front section 14 together with the straps 52 provide an interior surface free of sharp projections thus eliminating chafing and the like. The construction of the leggings from lightweight rigid material keeps fatigue at a minimum and the resinous plastic material reinforced with mineral fiber provides a 3 long lasting and durable pair of leggings which adequately protect the wearer from injury due to contact with brush, briers or similar obstructions and from contact or from biting by snakes, various reptiles or animals.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to. those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A legging comprising a pair of elongated front and rear rigid sections of U-shape in cross-section adapted to encompass a leg of a person from the ankle region to the kneecap region, said rear section having side walls and said front section having side Walls overlapping the side walls of the rear section, the side walls of the rear section having concave longitudinal edges to obviate straight longitudinal edges next to a leg, and the side walls of the front section having convex longitudinal edges to facilitate overlapping of the side walls of the rear section by the side walls of the front section, said front section having a forwardly olfset concave upper end portion for conforming to the kneecap of a leg and which is formed with convex side edges merging smoothly into the convex longitudinal edges of the side walls of the front section to comfortably fit against the sides of a knee,

and upper and lower pairs of transverse fastening straps for the sections each pair including complemental front and rear straps, the front section being provided with upper and lower pairs of closely spaced slots in the side walls thereof, the front straps extending around the inside of the front section and being slidably looped through the pairs of slots in the side walls of the front section, the rear section being provided with an upper and a lower pair of closely spaced rear slots therein, the rear straps being slidably looped through said rear slots and having buckles thereon for attachment to the front straps, said slots providing for longitudinal adjustment of said straps and friction locking of thestraps in adjusted positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 271,150 Stimpson Jan. 23, 1883 674,726 Bray May 21, 1901 1,003,077 Watson Sept. 12, 1911 1,564,056 Friedman et a1. a Dec. 1, 1925 1,765,609 Orr June 24, 1930 2,145,061 Stuart Jan. 24, 1939 2,422,669 Gygi June 24, 1947 2,422,851 Randall June 24, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,251 Great Britain .m Mar. 27, 1832 

